


History of the Hunt

by margotaggro



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margotaggro/pseuds/margotaggro
Summary: When the darkest spell goes awry, Moon must learn to work with the monster she hates above all else to escape the alternate dimension trapping them together.
Relationships: Moon Butterfly/Toffee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	History of the Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> The story separates from canon at the end of the chapter. Just trying to make the transition smooth.

As the sun started its ascent over Mewni, Moon saddled her loyal, gray pig-goat. The only sound that accompanied her departure was the rapid clip-clops of Lil’ Chauncey’s sturdy, split hooves on the packed earth of the road. 

“Remember. Confidence,” she whispered to herself and her ride.

The Lizard had been brazen. He had placed his camp right on the outskirts of the village, just a short distance between wooden Mewman houses and the monsters’ tents. Despite the early hour, there were already a few monsters cleaning up the area, eating breakfast, or tussling in the dirt. Pillars of smoke rose from cooking fires.

Moon recited the spell in her mind like a mantra, the words growing ever familiar and causing severe nausea. 

She made decent headway into the camp before anyone noticed her intrusion. Had she brought along an army, she would have caught the monsters completely unaware. But that wasn’t her plan. No, she came for The Lizard. He deserved so much worse than death. 

Since the moment Moon had gotten through the initial shock of Comet's assassination, only the darkest of thoughts had made their home in her head, like a deep pocket filling up with putrid pus under her skin. She was in no hurry to lance it. Let the horrid thoughts parade through, she decided, immolating, drowning, and beheading The Lizard in her mind, over and over again. If only the regular methods worked. Moon would have personally dragged him through the streets behind Lil’ Chauncey to be executed. But it would have been over far too quickly. Moon realized that above all else, she wanted The Lizard to suffer, to feel the loss and emptiness he forced her to carry. 

What did he value that she could rip away from him?

So buried in her thoughts, Moon began to slide off the saddle. She shook her head and righted her position. Such barbarity wasn’t right. She still had goosebumps from her visit to Eclipsa. Moon had gone too far. What would her mother think of the uncharitable ideas that clouded Moon’s mind? At least Comet was not alive to witness her daughter ride toward the enemy encampment, without a single guard. At least she would never hear the words that Moon had committed to memory last night. Small mercies.

After the night Moon had, huddled on the floor, clutching the apology meat in her hand, the rings under her blue eyes were prominent. Yesterday, Count Mildrew had attributed them to the “immeasurable grief for her dearly departed mother,” but he had been wrong. She had a war on her doorstep. 

Moon's neck and shoulders ached, and her eyelids protested staying open. The only one who could afford to sleep now was Eclipsa. Safely tucked in her impenetrable, crystal prison, Eclipsa could slumber away for eternity. She had seemed so kind and understanding, like an older sister Moon had never had. Twins in their shared mourning, two motherless daughters, a bond that had felt stronger than blood, uniting them for that one moment that swayed Moon into taking her offered hand. 

Even so, Moon could not afford to destroy one evil only to let another one out of the cage. And Eclipsa had to be evil, Moon decided, or she wouldn’t have been imprisoned. There had to have been a reason Magic High Commision feared Eclipsa, her dark magic, and her monster lover. 

Finally the monsters started taking notice of her arrival and gathering around her just as she reached the center of the camp. She wouldn’t have the same peaceful jaunt for an exit. 

Just as the reports mentioned, a menagerie of monsters had joined Septarians and filled the camp to bursting. They formed a circle of mangy fur, sharp fangs, and long claws around Lil’ Chauncey, and whispered among themselves. Moon made out a couple of words, but didn’t bother listening to the rest. She had a performance to make. 

She dismounted from Lil’ Chauncey without a word and ran her fingers through her long, straight hair - a blue so light, it was almost white - to make sure every detail was perfect. Her grey battle dress weighed next to nothing, and it was better to stay safe since she came alone. Moon kept her expression neutral while she set a small, periwinkle blanket on the ground. The zidanium plates of her skirt bent like fabric as she settled down on the blanket. Delicate and regal were her movements as she set the plate, a golden goblet, and utensils in front of her and readied the apology meat for consumption. Although her stomach was full of rolling needles and glass shards, she reached for the fork and knife to complete the illusion of ease. No one needed to know that the food sank to the bottom of her stomach like a stone.

The first volunteer stepped forward. A scaly, green Septarian, with what seemed to be dreadlocks around his crocodilian face, asked in a confused tone, “Uh, can we help you?”

“I wish to speak to the general,” said Moon before biting into a piece of the apology meat on the fork. She was careful to keep her expression flat even as the group of monsters guffawed at her. 

“Silence!” 

That single word was enough to stop all the monsters who surrounded Moon. If he wasn’t her enemy, she might have been impressed. If only Magic High Commission could respond this well to her words. And he wasn’t even all that loud or threatening. 

A curtain of Mewman skulls that served as the door of a grand tent parted.

Moon didn’t know what she was expecting. When she first heard about him, a variety of images had ran through her head, each one more distorted with extra teeth and newly added claws. She was a little disappointed with the actual general. He seemed so normal. Instead of the claws she had imagined, he had very ordinary nails. Aside from his head, tail, and scaly skin, he looked almost Mewman. 

His pace was slow; the monsters parted before him without complaint and looked at him with reverence in their eyes. He kept his tail a few inches off the ground as we approached so it wouldn't drag behind him. There were a lot of things Moon wanted to say to him, but she occupied her mouth with another piece of meat instead. No need to lay all the cards out on the table immediately.

He was well-built. Underneath the scaly, blue-gray skin of his exposed arms were clearly defined muscles. The sleeveless, black shirt and pants seemed to be on the tighter side. The only reasonable armor he deigned to wear was the spiky metal knee guards. His purposeful walk and his smirk oozed confidence. He thought he had already won, Moon realized. 

His shoulders were framed by two Mewman skulls - one on each side - with purple markings painted on where their cheeks were supposed to be. Moon went through the list of her family members to figure out if anyone was missing. No one came to mind, and the emblems were more like her own magenta diamonds and Eclipsa’s maroon spades. Moon didn’t know anyone else who shared these particular shapes in her family. 

The Lizard stopped a few feet away from her blanket. 

His black hair was slicked back and curled upwards at the ends, just past his wide shoulders. He had a thin muzzle, rounded at the end, and it was full of sharp teeth. The upper set peaked out from under his lips even when his mouth was closed. He reminded Moon of the tiny lizards that climbed the bushes of the rose garden.

The other two Septarians - the green, crocodilian one and the purple one with fins for ears - joined him on either side. They were shirtless. It seemed that being muscular was something that applied to all Septarians Moon met so far. Although she was taller than most Mewman girls, Moon was laughably short when placed near monsters. The top of her head just reached The Lizard’s chin. Where the Septarians - an impenetrable wall of muscle - were roughly the same height, the rest of the gathered crowd seemed like giant piles of fur and fangs.

The Lizard seemed so ordinary compared to the other two of his kind, so quiet when contrasted with their boisterous flexing, he could almost fade away like a nightmare upon waking. The only things that would haunt Moon would be his yellow eyes. They were almond shaped and almost glowing, predatory even. He had none of the exaggerated bravado the other Septarians displayed around him. His confidence was earned. The smirk he wore sent shivers up Moon’s spine. It was like he had played and won this game a million times and came to collect his due, but Moon still had a trick or two up her sleeve.

“Hello, princess.” He bent at the waist to give her a bow so graceful, he put members of her own court to shame. Although his tone was distinctly mocking. 

If it was bait, Moon refused to fall for it. She had a part to play, and she had her lines prepared. “I presume you’re the one they call ‘The Lizard’?” His sobriquet got a special emphasis with the way Moon said it.

He straightened out from the bow. “Yes, but you may call me Toffee.”

That answer knocked her off her game for a moment. She asked, incredulous, “Toffee? How is that any better?” Was he still mocking her or was that his actual name?

He sighed like she was wasting his time, and he was just humoring her. “What do you want?” 

“I want you and your army to leave immediately,” Moon said. “Or face the consequences.”

The green Septarian on Toffee’s right jumped in to eagerly add his input. “Your mom couldn’t defeat us, and neither can you.” He pointed his clawed finger at her.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She abandoned the utensils and got to her feet. Moon reached into the pocket of her battle skirt to grab the handle of her wand. The snakewood perfectly shaped for only Moon since the second she had inherited it from Comet three years ago. She held it in front of her, the light blue columbrian crystal heart bulb aimed at Toffee.

The purple Septarian to Toffee’s left spoke up. “We’re not afraid of your little girl magic.”

“We’re invincible!” The green one joined in with his gruff voice. “Just watch.” He outstretched his arm in front of Toffee, and the purple one opened his huge jaws around it.

Moon did not want to see this. She shouted, “No! Wait! I already know about the-” But neither of them listened to her protests. 

She cringed as the jaws snapped closed around the arm and ripped it off. The green one didn’t even flinch. He just grunted, and out came sprouting a whole new arm with only a little blood spilt. He then gave the most macabre high five to his old arm while it was still dangling in the jaws of his fellow Septarian. Toffee seemed even more smug as his comrades completed their morbid display. 

Repulsed, Moon grimaced. Her hands shook while the monsters cheered their perceived victory. Her council must have been right. Moon saw the truth for the first time. Mewni belonged to the Mewmans, and the monsters were too dangerous to have a place in this dimension. She reassured herself, once she’d cast her spell, they’d never dare to threaten another Mewman again. It would all end here, where her true reign would begin.

“I call the darkness unto me from deepest depths of earth and sea.” She willed her voice to stay steady as she started the incantation. The heart-shaped crystal at the end of her wand glowed with an unfamiliar maroon light. “From ancient evils unawoken, break the one that can't be broken.” 

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and the monsters around her threw panicked glances up at the sky. 

Lightning bolts erupted from the crackling wand. Heavy air swirled with her in the center, but Moon continued without minding the chaos. “To blackest night, I pledge my soul and crush my heart to burning coal.” Black ooze coated the glowing, crystal bulb, and streaks of dark purple spread like veins from her hands up her wrists as she clutched the wand tighter. “To summon forth a deathly power, to see my hated foe devoured.” These marks weren’t a part of the plan; Eclipsa didn't warn her about them! Moon yelped, but it was too late. The incantation was over, no longer could it be undone.

“Enough of this,” said Toffee as he took a step toward Moon. He reached his right hand out for her.

Not his heart - as Eclipsa had instructed her - but something else. Moon took aim at the outstretched hand and fired off the blast of dark magic. There was enough force to send him flying backwards. Silence reigned the monster camp as his middle finger hit the ground between the two of them. It was enveloped in maroon light and vanished into thin air.

While Moon hoped it was enough to frighten the monsters, she took aim at Toffee’s fallen body, her wand at the ready to fire off another blast. Although the darkest spell took its toll and left her arms shaking with exertion, she was still prepared to defend herself. Her part was not over just yet.

Toffee sat up. “Have you learned nothing?” he asked her and held out his wounded hand. That infuriating smirk was back on his face. 

As soon as the finger started to regenerate, it blackened and crumbled away into a ghostly dark butterfly rising from the wound - a reminder of Moon’s power.

“It’s not growing back!” someone shouted. 

The monsters around them screamed and scattered into the woods beyond the camp grounds. Not one stayed behind to help their general. All their tents stood abandoned along with other belongings. 

Moon prepared herself. Any minute now, the infamous Lizard would get up and retaliate against her. No matter, she could knock him back as many times as he came at her. 

Toffee stood up, and without a word, he dusted himself off while glaring venomously at Moon. He didn’t attack her as she expected him to. He didn’t chase after his soldiers. In fact, Toffee didn’t look surprised at all. It almost seemed like he knew they’d abandon him as soon as Moon proved herself to be lethal. Without an army, he was no general. Toffee was just going to slink away. Maybe it was really the end of him. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath them lit up. Purple, red, and green swirled in a circle under their feet. In a blinding flash, Moon was weightless; unknown force flung her body upwards by at least a couple of feet. Her mother had warned her about the changes in density during mewberty, but she had said nothing of the strange portal that Moon definitely did not summon. She grabbed onto the nearest object with her free hand, which was the flap of a tent. 

The tent itself was airborne, too, so it made no difference. Her other hand was still clutching onto the wand. 

Did Toffee and his monsters do this? Was it Hekapoo’s doing? The portal was so enormous, it took up most of the camp and lifted tents, weapons, and everything else up in the air. What was that spell? The one that restarted gravity? She rummaged through her memories, but nothing useful came up. Was there a spell that closed portals? A spell that created new ground? No, no, that wouldn’t work here. A blast! If she fired it up, the energy had to be powerful enough to force her downwards. Which blast? Which one? Nothing! Three years with the damned wand and cursed book, and she had nothing!

Moon crashed down just as suddenly as she was lifted. She only had enough time to curl up into a ball. It was as though whoever played with the gravitational pull remembered that it needed to be turned on. The entire monster camp came crashing down around her, too, with a loud racket. Her elbows hit the ground rather hard and bled from shallow cuts. At least she didn’t feel as hurt as she thought she would. Although she had no doubt the pain would be much worse later, once the adrenaline settled.

Lil’ Chauncey bleated nearby. He must have landed along with her. 

Just as Moon got up to check on him, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Toffee! She should have kept her guard up the entire time. The two of them stared at each other for a brief moment, and Toffee looked as confused as Moon felt. His yellow eyes were wide as he took in the surroundings. Moon lifted her wand just in case he decided to try something, but a blast of energy fired from it, unbidden. She squeaked as Toffee dodged the projectile magic, movements much faster than Moon expected, and took off into the woods just like the rest of his monster army.

At least this part was over. Moon sighed. She waited for a while, her wand pointed at the place where Toffee had entered the forest, as her heart beat rapidly in the deathly silence of the monster camp. She made her way forward, to the bushes, to see a single set of footsteps continuing beyond into the darkness offered by the foliage. 

Moon still expected Toffee to jump out and run her through with something, maybe a sharp branch or one of those rusty swords his monsters armed themselves with. But he was finally gone, and she must have looked ridiculous - wand out and waiting for so long for an attack from someone who was definitely not around any longer. She lowered her wand and flipped her hair - which was messed up by the fall - out of her face with a free hand. At least her council did not see her in this state.

She was still in enemy territory, so Moon couldn’t relax just yet. Lil’ Chauncey was gone when she turned around. He must have been scared off by all the commotion and headed back to the Butterfly castle. Except something was definitely off. Instead of the village and the castle that Moon knew should have been behind her, there was only the forest. Not even a hint of the towers she knew by heart remained. Last she checked, the spires and domes climbed higher than the clouds and were big enough to be seen for miles around. But they were just gone.


End file.
